Electric atmosphere: Players recall last year’s A-Day experience

TUSCALOOSA | Ask players on the University of Alabama football team what they remember about last year’s A-Day Game and they’ll mention the crowd and the atmosphere.

A few might even know the score of the game.

What few will ever forget was seeing the wave cheer doing laps around Bryant-Denny Stadium. It was something no one had witnessed or experienced before at a spring game, because no major college football program had ever successfully filled its stadium for a glorified offseason scrimmage.

“It was a huge deal from the fans’ perspective, the atmosphere and everything,” senior quarterback John Parker Wilson said. “I think it says a lot about our program that so many people came out. And people getting turned away, that’s just amazing.

“It said a lot. To have that much buzz around a spring game is amazing. We just have to keep it rolling.”

For the record, the White team, which featured Alabama’s first-team offense and second-team defense, defeated the Crimson team, 20-13. Wide receiver DJ Hall had five catches for 87 yards to earn the Dixie Howell Memorial Award as the game’s most valuable player, and Wilson completed 18 of 36 passes for 244 yards and two touchdowns.

Junior center Antoine Caldwell was named by the media as recipient of the Dwight Stephenson Award as the day’s most valuable lineman, but that too paled in comparison to the capacity crowd of 92,138.

“Last year, there was a whole new system and everyone wanted to see how [then-new head coach Nick] Saban was going to handle the team,” junior defensive end Brandon Deaderick said. “The second year, everyone wants to see how we’ve grown in the system. Everyone wants to see if this is going to be a breakout year in Alabama football. So I think there’s a pretty good buzz about it. I think everyone’s excited. I’m excited about it. I’m really excited about this season and A-Day.”

To give a comparison to how the excitement grew, when sophomore Brian Motley attended A-Day as a recruit in 2005, there was somewhere around 35,000 people in the stands, approximately what Auburn recently drew to its spring game.

But even that made an impression on Motley.

“It did,” said Motley, who will not play in this year’s game due to a broken finger requiring two support pins. “It was showing all the dedication from the fans, seeing all them come out to support the team. You don’t get that anywhere else.”

And last year’s game?

“It was an awesome experience because that was my first time in front of the fans,” he said. “People kind of started looking at the program as being on the rise, that Alabama was about to be on top again.

“It’s a lot more fun than a regular scrimmage, knowing that you have that many eyes on you. You want to go out and do your best.”

One thing that will be different about this year’s A-Day scrimmage is that it will not be the last of the 15 spring practices. Because of next weekend’s triathlons, which include an Olympic qualifier, the Tide’s final workout will actually be Monday at the Thomas-Drew practice fields.

That, however, shouldn’t take anything away from the A-Day Game, which will be the first public viewing of the 2008 Crimson Tide, except for the new recruits who will arrive for the fall.

“[A-Day] is real important to me,” said junior defensive lineman Brandon Deaderick. “It’ll show us who can sustain, who can stay focused with all the people out there.

“It’s going to be game-like. The speed is going to be faster. To go out there and have fun, after working hard all spring. Perform for our fans, perform for our coaches. Guys are still competing for spots, competing for playing time. It’s like a job interview.”

Reach Christopher Walsh at christopher.walsh@tuscaloosanews.com or at 205-722-0196.